Churches gear up to screen Mother’s canonisation live

Churches across Mumbai will celebrate the event on Sunday.

People pray at the special service organised by Our Lady of Immaculate Conception church, Borivli, for Mother’s canonisation in Mumbai on Friday.(Pramod Thakur/HT)

As millions of people across the globe watch Mother Teresa’s cannonisation ceremony in Rome on September 4, an orphanage in Vile Parle run by the Missionaries of Charity - the order founded by the nun - will watch the live telecast of ceremony on a television that was gifted to them on Thursday night.

The nuns at Shishubhavan, which cares for 14 children with special needs, are now arranging for a cable connection. “Since we didn’t have a TV, a visitor sent one to us. Once the ceremony is over on Sunday, they will take it back,” said sister M Praxides, superior at the missionary.

Churches across Mumbai will celebrate the event on Sunday. St. Jude Church in Malad, which is a small parish of about 800 people, have ordered white T-shirts printed with Mother Teresa’s picture.

“All the parishioners will wear either this T-shirt or a combination of white and blue clothes for the Sunday mass, as these colours are most closely associated with Mother Teresa. Let’s paint the town blue, is going to be our theme for Sunday,” said Father Warner D’Souza from the church. Parishioners have been clubbed into units to prepare vegetarian meals, which will be distributed among the poor all through the day.

The Archdiocese of Bombay launched a digital campaign last week to encourage parishioners to do charity work, similar to Mother Teresa’s. “Over the past eight days, we have been sharing pictures and messages of Mother Teresa’s work, which is relevant to the teachings of the Bible,” said Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for the archdiocese.

Our Lady of Mercy Church in Thane, will organise a live screening of the ceremony on a projector for around 100 people. “The church also will also organise a free dental check up for children from Ma-Niketan orphanage,” said a parishioner.

Sacred Heart Church, Andheri (East) has organised a special inter-religious meet to pay tribute to Mother Teresa. “We will be talking about her life, especially in India,” said a parishioner.